Monday, May 5, 2014

I've decided to retire The Greatest Comeback Ever blog as I continue a physical training experiment I just started. I would urge those who haven't seen my 300+ posts on www.torunistolive.blogspot.com to take some time and check them out. As I have said before, I look around the Net and I don't see any 'running' sites like mine. I say this not to brag but 50+ years of total involvement in running does bring it's insights. It's more than just a running and training site. I may add a few new posts soon.
Make your fitness and health a priority!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

"One should not torture himself over a single mistake. What is essential is one's presence of mind hereafter. When one makes a mistake, he should not be hesitant to correct it. Making a mistake and not correcting it, this is the real mistake."
Evaluate and re-evaluate, be introspective. I hear athletes repeatedly asking why they are not seeing improvement in their performances. There's a reason for this.
"Do all things with patience."
The impatient athlete tends to be a self-defeating one.
"Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind."
For most of us that takes awareness of how we are and the desire to acquire mastery over ourselves. Again, being introspective is the key.
"We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training."
Great quote here, positive thinking and Jerry Lynch affirmations are only as good as the training you've done.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

I continue to be amazed at the number of men and women who are turning their bodies into billboards by tattooing. Who under the age of 40 doesn't have at least one? I've got three and regret the fact I ever got one, much less three. It's all about vanity, plain and simple. The following raises some legitimate health concerns about this increasingly popular practice.

Can Tattoo Ink Lead to Cancer?

It has been said that “tattoo ink is remarkably nonreactive histologically, despite the frequent use of different pigments of unknown purity and identity by tattoo artists.” 1
However, University of Bradford researchers using an atomic force microscope (AFM) that allows them to examine skin with tattoos at the nano-level have found evidence that suggests otherwise. In a preliminary study (the first to use an AFM to examine tattoos), the researchers found that the tattoo process remodels collagen (your body’s main connective tissue).2
Further, nanoparticles from tattoo ink were found to exist in both the collagenous network of the skin as well as around blood vessels. This suggests that the ink particles are leaving the surface of your skin and traveling elsewhere in your body, where they could potentially enter organs and other tissues.
This is problematic because tattoo inks are largely unregulated and known to contain cancer-causing compounds. The researchers believe the issue could become a significant public health concern given the rise in tattooing in the last decade, noting:

“We need to do more work, but there is no question that these substances can be toxic. It takes a long time for the multi-step nature of cancer to show its face and I don’t think we should wait to see if there is anything wrong with these ingredients.”

Nanoparticles in Tattoo Ink May be Carcinogenic

Nanoparticles are ultramicroscopic in size, making them able to readily penetrate your skin and travel to underlying blood vessels and your bloodstream. Evidence suggests that some nanoparticles may induce toxic effects in your brain and cause nerve damage, and some may also be carcinogenic.
In 2011, a study in The British Journal of Dermatology revealed that nanoparticles are indeed found in tattoo inks,3 with black pigments containing the smallest particles (white pigments had the largest particles and colored pigments were in between).
With the exception of the white pigments, the researchers noted that “the vast majority of the tested tattoo inks contained significant amounts” of nanoparticles. “The black pigments were almost pure NPs [nanoparticles], i.e. particles with at least one dimension <100 nm,” they said.

Black-Ink Tattoos May be the Riskiest

The black ink is the color most often linked to potential adverse health effects, although all tattoo inks have toxic potential, including:

May contain carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) like benzo(a)pyrene (a Class 1 carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer)

Since black ink may contain a significant amount of nanoparticles, it is likely that such toxins could find easy entrance into your bloodstream, perhaps worsening their effects. Writing in Experimental Dermatology, researchers highlighted the dangerous potential of tattoo inks (particularly black) even beyond nanoparticles:6

“Black tattoo inks are usually based on soot, are not regulated and may contain hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Part of PAHs possibly stay lifelong in skin, absorb UV radiation and generate singlet oxygen, which may affect skin integrity.

… Tattooing with black inks entails an injection of substantial amounts of phenol and PAHs into skin. Most of these PAHs are carcinogenic and may additionally generate deleterious singlet oxygen inside the dermis when skin is exposed to UVA (e.g. solar radiation).”

While so far incidences of skin cancer appearing on tattooed skin has been deemed coincidental,7 it is largely unknown whether the inks may be contributing to cancers, or other health problems, elsewhere in the body. It’s known, for instance, that some tattoo pigment may migrate from your skin into your body’s lymph nodes.8 According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, a well-respected professional in cancer prevention:

“… the evidence which we’ve accumulated so far, is largely restricted to the fact that they [nanoparticles] get into your bloodstream and reach organs throughout your body. And as far as the brain is concerned, we have actual evidence of entry into the brain and producing toxic effects -- lesions, small lesions, toxic effects in the brain.”

Tattoo Inks are Not Regulated in the US, Most are Industrial-Grade Products

Inks and ink colorings (pigments) used for tattoos are technically subject to regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as cosmetics and color additives. However, the Agency states that because of other public health priorities and a “previous lack of evidence of safety concerns,” they have not traditionally regulated such products.9 As such, many dyes used in tattooing are actually produced for industrial uses such as car paint or printers’ ink, for instance.
To date there have been no systemic studies to look at the safety of injecting such inks into the body, although the National Center for Toxicological Research is conducting research to determine:

The chemical composition of tattoo inks and how they break down in your body

The short-term and long-term safety of tattoo inks and pigments

How your body responds to the interaction of light with the inks

The Friends of the Earth – a global network of grassroots groups – is among those now calling for proper regulation of tattoo inks amidst the new findings that they may contribute to cancer.10 In the meantime, it may be wise to “think before you ink,” as the FDA recommends, at least until further research is completed (and remember that permanent makeup is also a form of tattoo

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Some thoughts on longevity---As in anything---the proof or the merit of something is in....the proof, not the claim of someone who says they know. If I told you that eating only raw foods for the rest of your life would make you healthy and long lived, I would hope that you'd ask me, who are the people who have lived long lives doing so? It is only common sense that something which purports to be so has a factual basis for such a claim.
With that said, research was done on people who lived long vigorous lives. Researchers wanted to see if there were any qualities that were prevalent among them, this is what they found. It is by no means a comprehensive list but here are some of the similar characteristics:
"A study was done to find out what long lived people have in common. There are a few interesting things that stand out:

They mistrust doctors, preferring to do their own research about their body and get second and third opinions before taking a course of action.

They have a great sense of humour.

They are quite naughty, and playful in their attitude to life.

They are rebels, preferring to follow their own inner inspiration rather than being sheep following the flock.

They have a deeply intuitive sense about life, listening to their inner wisdom and trusting it.

What This Site is All About

Who doesn't want to be at the top of their game mentally and physically? I do. I want to function at an optimal state mentally and physically, able to take on life's challenges with relative ease. This blog chronicles my efforts to achieve that goal. I believe that in reading this blog others will find encouragement and insights that will be of help to them.However,here is the ESSENTIAL piece of the puzzle in achieving an optimal mental state, you must be physically fit. A sound body is essential for a sound mind. That's a fact, not a cliché.I will give a daily run-down on what my efforts to reach optimal fitness are, as well as suggestions and opinions on everything pertaining to lifestyle issues, what you eat and how you think.Posts will be most everyday and to the point. You may not agree with what is said but it will hopefully encourage you to think,to think as an individual, not as others think you should think. I encourage feedback and input.

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About Me

If you haven't seen my other Blog, www.torunistolive.blogspot.com I would highly recommend you take a look at it. There are over 300 articles covering almost every aspect of running.It is unlike any other running site on the Web. With that said, decades of running and coaching are the result of my passion for the purest of all sports,distance running. I had the good fortune to be introduced to Percy Cerutty through his writings in the mid-80's. From there I incorporated his principles into my training and life. I also formed a group of athletes called the Stotans that are still at it today.